You Only Live Twice (1967) DVD Review – UK

When US and Soviet manned spacecraft are hijacked whilst in orbit the two superpowers blame each other. James Bond is soon called in to prevent the tension spiraling out of control and starting a nuclear war

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10 Aug 2026 (2 days ago)

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Runtime

1 Hour 52 Minutes

BBFC rating

Region

Region 2

Sound

Mono

Aspect

2.35:1

Release year

1967

Details

As the Cold War reaches boiling point, American and Soviet spacecraft begin mysteriously disappearing whilst in orbit. With each superpower blaming the other, international tensions escalate rapidly and the threat of nuclear war becomes increasingly real. Determined to discover who is manipulating events from behind the scenes, MI6 dispatches James Bond to Japan after British intelligence traces the unidentified launches to somewhere off its coastline.

Working alongside the Japanese Secret Service and its resourceful head, Tiger Tanaka, Bond soon uncovers evidence pointing towards SPECTRE. His investigation leads him through a web of assassins, hidden agents and elaborate traps before finally revealing one of the organisation's greatest secrets - a vast concealed headquarters built inside a dormant volcano.

With Ernst Stavro Blofeld preparing to provoke an all-out conflict between East and West, Bond must infiltrate the heavily fortified base and stop SPECTRE's plan before the world descends into nuclear war.

Picture & Sound

Once again MGM have produced an excellent digitally restored transfer. Detail is impressive throughout, colours remain vibrant and the anamorphic presentation shows very little evidence of compression artefacts or edge enhancement. Aside from the occasional dust speck reminding you of the film's age, this is another superb restoration that does justice to one of Bond's most spectacular adventures.

The only real disappointment is the soundtrack. Unlike several of the earlier Bond releases, You Only Live Twice is presented solely with its original mono mix. Whilst the dialogue remains perfectly clear and John Barry's wonderful score still sounds superb, it's difficult not to imagine how much impact a carefully produced Dolby Digital 5.1 remix could have added to the spectacular climax inside Blofeld's volcano. Given the scale of the explosions and action sequences, it feels like a missed opportunity rather than a fatal flaw.

Menu & Extras

Although this disc doesn't contain quite as many extras as some of the previous Bond releases, the material included is consistently fascinating. The feature-length documentary provides an excellent look behind the scenes, covering everything from filming in Japan to the enormous Pinewood volcano set, which reportedly cost more to build than the entire budget of Dr. No.

The audio commentary is equally informative, whilst the storyboards, trailers and radio spots round off the package nicely. One particularly amusing revelation is that Jan Werich was originally cast as Blofeld before being replaced by Donald Pleasence because he simply didn't look menacing enough. Having seen photographs of him, it's hard to disagree - he really does resemble the Birds Eye fish finger captain more than the head of a global criminal organisation!

Overall

You Only Live Twice marks a significant turning point for the Bond series. The gadgets become bigger, the villains more extravagant and Ken Adam's spectacular volcano lair set a benchmark that countless Bond films would attempt to emulate. Whilst it may not possess the gritty realism of From Russia With Love, it more than compensates with sheer spectacle.

Sean Connery remains completely at ease in the role, Donald Pleasence's scarred Blofeld finally gives a face to Bond's greatest enemy and John Barry delivers one of the finest musical scores of the entire series. The Japanese setting also gives the film a distinctive feel that helps it stand apart from the earlier adventures.

The mono soundtrack is a slight disappointment and prevents this from being the definitive presentation the film deserves, but the excellent picture quality and highly informative extras ensure this remains another strong entry in MGM's Bond collection. Fans of 007 should have little hesitation in adding it to their shelves.